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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A How can I keep my sickly bunny comfortable?

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    • guineapig724
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        Hi, its been a while since I last posted, but I’m not sure what to do to help my mini lop Bobbi.
        She has had an appointment to have her good eye(she is blind in the other eye) surgically removed due to an eye cancer.
        The appointment is for tomorrow. This morning when I was making her breakfast, as she always runs from her bed to meet me at the counter so she can be with me while I am standing there, I noticed she was dragging her back legs behind her, and appeared to be in a lot of pain. She made it to the counter, and then started acting normal again. I thought it was some weird attempt at getting attention from me, but she is still doing it. I rushed her to the emergency vet, and they said it was paralysis due to arthritis. They have never mentioned arthritis before at her check ups, and its only been a few monthes since her check up. The vet was very unhelpful and wanted to put her down! I refused, but they didn’t give me painkillers or anything, just sent us home. What do I do? Will this go away? She is only 5 and is usually very healthy. I am very worried. Do you have any ways to keep her happy? I have heard of paralyzed back legs in rabbits and the rabbits seem to be fine, most have a cart, but are otherwise happy. Should I cancel the surgery? She kind of needs ro have it though. Does anyone know what I should do?


      • tobyluv
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          I think that you should call your regular vet in the morning, who I assume is the one who is supposed to perform surgery on Bobbi, to discuss what has happened with her back legs. I imagine that the vet would want to delay the surgery until he has examined your bunny and determined what might be wrong, how serious it is and what treatment might be needed. I’m sorry about your bunny’s eye and I hope that she will be okay.


        • guineapig724
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            Thank you, I wasplanning on doing that, do you know how I can keep her comfortable until tomorrow? She seems to be in a lot of pain and when I picked her up, her legs just hung limply and it looks really weird. Thanks for your advice


          • vanessa
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              I had a rabbit with paralyzed rear legs. He was completely incontinent. In a baby diaper, urine scale, fur coming off in clumps. I bathed him 4 times a day, with a diaper change each time. I still couldn’t keep his skin dry. The pee just dribbled out of him from his bladder. One vet didn’t say much except – give him a bath so he doesn’t get urine scald. He was treated for E.C. I took him to a different vet who started removing the bad hair, and showed me his skin. Bruised, inflamed, terrible. I cried when I saw his skin. No bunny should have to go through that. He had belly pain, and had attracted flies. He had 7 warbles. It was a horror story. The second vet recommended that if I chose to have him euthenaised due to the quality of his life, no-one would begrudge me that decision. She was very respectful and compassionate. I had him euthenaised. My best attempts to care for him weren’t enough. I’m not saying you should do the same. Just that I understand how painful it is. My bunny dragged his rear quarters on the ground by pulling on the floor with his front feet. So I had to make sure he had enough grip, but not so much that it was abrasive. He was 2 years old with no hope of recovery.The previous year he lost the use of one of his hind legs. The final rear paralysis and incontinence was just too much. I had just bought wheels, abd had a design to make him a cart. The dribbling urine made that choice impossible. It was a continuous constant dribble. There was no way I could keep him clean. He needed antibiotics for his skin. So – sorry for my horror story. But there it is.
              I would take your bunny to a different vet just to find more compassionate care – and pain killers for your bunny. She shouldn’t have to be in pain when there are good pain killers available for rabbits.
              Her situation sounds sad. I’m not sure what I would do about the surgery. If she needs it – she needs it. Is the cancer in the good eye? It would be so sad to have a blind bunny. But bunnies definitely do adapt. It’s the pain I would be immediately concerned about. A bunny in pain doesn’t heal up as well as a bunny feeling pain free. Paralysis is manageable with a cart. Incontinence with paralysis is a nightmare. I would do what I need to do – to keep her pain free and comfortable. Pain is the worst and scariest thing for an animal, even a human. I wouldn’t put her in a position to try to walk. I would bring her up to me when she wants to be by the counter where I prepare her food. I’d make sure she has her favorite bedding, and lots of snuggles and petting. And I’d keep her at my side whenever I could.


            • vanessa
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                Help her when she sits and lies down, to get in a comfy position. You could also ask your current vet for pain meds for her legs. Ask any human with arthritis if it is painful. It hurts all the time. as in ALL the TIME. I would ask for pain meds. Some vets may feel it is useless to treat what they feel should be a euthenasia. But it is your choice to take care of her – so ask your vet for what you want. Don’t just walk away disapointed.


              • tobyluv
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                  Call the emergency clinic and ask if they will give you some pain medication for Bobbi. Hopefully, since you were just there with her, they will let you come back and get the medicine for her – unless they know so little about rabbits and are afraid of giving medication to them. Let them know that you plan to go to your regular vet in the morning, but that Bobbi seems to be in pain and that you don’t want her to have to wait so long to get relief. The most common pain medication for rabbits is Metacam. I assume that they would have weighed Bobbi, so they will know the correct dosage to give her. I hope that they will help her and give you something to control her pain. If not, and if there aren’t any other vets available to you tonight, you can fix her up in a comfortable bed and try to confine her to it, and just be with her. I think that some human painkillers may be okay for rabbits, but I don’t know which ones, and I wouldn’t want you to try anything unless you can do some searching, here or at other rabbit sites, to make sure that you aren’t giving her anything that would harm her. I’ll be thinking of both of you.

                   

                  Edited to add:

                  I just did some searching on the HRS site and on Medirabbit.  Aspirin and ibuprofen can be given, but only with a vet’s approval, and aspirin should not be given before surgery, so it’s probably too dangerous for you to try to use your own OTC pain relievers if you have any.  I still think you should at least try the emergency clinic and see if they might give you some Metacam for Bobbi.  Maybe there is another vet there who is more rabbit savvy.  Here is the page I found on Medirabbit regarding pain relievers, but I don’t want to advise you to use anything without a vet’s approval. http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm. 


                • vanessa
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                    I used aspirin for Merlin. It helped. It is controversial, and definitely not before surgery, being a blood thinner.


                  • guineapig724
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                      Bobbi had her surgery today! Instead of having my regular rabbit savvy vet perform the surgery, the clinic phoned my specialist and they happened to have an opening today. Me and Bobbi drove the 4 hours to the specialist and they performed it today. It was a fast surgery, but she is now completely blind. She has been sleeping in a dog over the shoulder sling that I have been wearing around today. She rested on the drive back from the clinic, and seemed confused and disoriented at first, but has been trying to drag herself around. Her blindness seems okay, but the fur on her legs and lower belly started rubbing off , so I bought the sling. She is acting okay, and the vet gave me painkillers. I ordered a small dog cart and it should arrive soon. She is having bathroom issues, but is eating. I bought a heated bed for at night, and moved it into my room. It isn’t cold, but it may help with her sore legs on a low setting. She moves very slowly. I am hoping the cart will help. I haven’t had to give her a butt bath, but have had to wipe her off with a washcloth a few times. I think she will pull through, I am hoping her eye will heal soon, it is very painful and The painkillers cause her to have diarrhea. She nibbled her hay, drank excessive amounts of water, and ate 1 oz of banana. She also ate 2 of those oxbow timothy hay treats. She seems okay, and the vet said the surgery went well , but is there any chance someone else had or has a blind, paralyzed in rear legs bunny? I will keep you updated on her issues! Thanks and I am sorry to hear about merlin, that would be a hard decision. Also, what diapers should I use? I saw some reusable rabbit diapers on etsy, has anyone tried them?


                    • vanessa
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                        That is so sad 🙁 I used newborn diapers, disposable. I folded them in half and cut a 1-inch slit in the middle, for a total of a 2-inch opening for the tail. There is a god youtube video on diapering a bunny. I’ll look it up and post the link for you. Basically – put the diaper on backwards to how you would use it on a human. So that the velcro attatchments are on the bunnies back, which makes it easier to change it. Hold one side under the bunny, pull the other side over the hips, so the hip bone is out of the diaper, otherwise the leg will slip out. then make it snug just like a baby. Merlin was 7lb new zealand, and a newborn diaper fit him. My other 7.5lb bunny is really large for her weight and woudl have required a size up. Newborn works for most bunnies.


                      • vanessa
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                          https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrBT6PffDlWqmYACnBXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE0ZHJ0NjBsBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjExNzlfMQRzZWMDcGl2cw–?p=how+to+diaper+a+bunny&fr=yfp-t-901&fr2=piv-web#id=1&vid=e1fb72db342124e9ed7fd866cfa4a287&action=view

                          If the link doesn’t work, youtube “how to diaper a rabbit.”
                          Hopefully the bowels clear up after the medication. My heart goes out to you.


                        • tobyluv
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                            I wondered what was happening with Bobbi, and thought that the surgery might have been postponed since she developed the paralysis. Did the surgeon have an opinion as to what caused the sudden paralysis, and what might be done to help it? I know that some people have tried acupuncture on their rabbits. I have had a blind bunny, due to cataracts, and a bunny who lost the use of her hind legs, but not one who had both conditions. Poor Bobbi is certainly going through a lot, and I know it’s hard on you too. It can be helpful to give a probiotic to a rabbit who is on antibiotics, to keep their GI flora at a normal balance. Maybe one would be helpful to Bobbi since the painkillers are giving her diarrhea. You could ask your vet about that. I have used Bene-Bac Plus in the past for one of my rabbits. I hope that her pain will be gone soon.


                          • guineapig724
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                              Thank you so much for the diapering tips, they have been very helpful. I have bene-bac from when Bobbi was last sick, and my vet said it was safe to give her. It has helped significantly. Her eye is already looking better, she was already half blind, so I don’t think she cares a lot about being blind. Her chair came today in really fast shipping, but the maker is actually in my city, so thats good. I stapped her into it, after being confused for the first 5 minutes, she figured out that she can run! I got foam padding for all of my furniture legs, as she keeps running into stuff, and she seems happy! She actually has tried to binky, resulting in the chair tipping over and coming undone, but she is trying to binky with her front legs(i took the chair off to let her have a break on the first day) and it is very cute. She seems to be getting better already, and although her disabilities will never heal, We will make the most of it and give her the best life possible. I booked an acupuncture and physio appointment for her with a pet therapist next week, so we will see how that goes. She’s a very tough bun, and I think she’s gonna be alright.
                              Thanks for all your hope, I will update you as she gets better.


                            • guineapig724
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                                Help, not hope, silly autocorrect!


                              • Mimsy
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                                  That is just heart warming. So great to hear that she seems so happy and right after a surgery. I hope she continues to improve. She is very lucky to have you as her owner.


                                • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                    OMG that’s adorable she’s trying to binky in her chair-only a really happy bunny binkies so you are doing something right!! I’m so happy to hear her surgery went well and she’s feeling well!

                                    I wonder if you read up on splay leg bunnies, if you will find tips for your Bobbi? They actually are never able to walk so I think the comfort care should be quite similar

                                    http://www.disabledrabbits.com/splay-leg.html


                                  • tobyluv
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                                      I’m glad that Bobbi is recuperating so quickly and is happy so soon after her surgery. She evidently has a positive spirit and knows how much you love and care for her. I hope that she continues to do well and enjoys much happiness.


                                    • vanessa
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                                        I’m so happy to hear that 🙂

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                                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A How can I keep my sickly bunny comfortable?